


Wounded

by LastYearsModel



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Intimacy, Naked Cuddling, One Shot, Scars, Vulnerability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23453065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastYearsModel/pseuds/LastYearsModel
Summary: While on the Malaysia Job Nate tells Elena how he got some of his scars.
Relationships: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Kudos: 32





	Wounded

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer-The Uncharted games and characters are all Naughty Dog's wonderful creations!
> 
> First posted by me on Archive of Our Own a few years ago.

As she snuggled close to her husband, the pair of them completely naked in bed, Elena let out a blissful sigh. With a mischievous grin on his face, Nate mimicked her sigh, which earned him a playful shove from his wife as they both chuckled softly.

His smile changed from mischievous to adoring as he slowly ran his hand through her hair, then down her side. As she snuggled even closer to him, her hand caressed his chest.

It was so hard to believe right now that just over a month ago she had thought that their marriage was over, that for a short period of time she didn’t think she could ever get past the pain of what she'd discovered in that motel room in Madagascar-the lies had hurt her way more than the times Nate had ran out on her and even more than the miscarriages she'd suffered.

But she'd never been a quitter and even though she'd come damn close to leaving her idiot husband to get himself out of his own mess, she had found herself going with Sully to help the Drake brothers.

She might not have known Nate’s birth name or that he had a big brother but she knew just who she was marrying those years ago-underneath that cheeky, cocky, heroically roguish surface was a vulnerable, frightened, emotional mess who was the sweetest, gentlest soul she'd ever known.

Deep down a part of her understood why he'd lied to her (although this knowledge didn't take away the bitter sting of his deception) and as they travelled over the island together, to rescue Sam, forgiveness came to her slowly.

They'd talked a lot after Libertalia, probably the most they had ever talked-with Sam alive Nate could finally talk about so many things that had previously been just too painful for him to speak about.

Nate had also given her his mother's journal to read. Cassandra Morgan had passed on her passion for Sir Francis Drake and Henry Avery to her sons, her writing also conveyed a fragile uncertainess, a vulnerability that Nate had inherited.

Her parents had been dead against her marrying Nate. Her mother's reaction didn't come as a surprise, she was always so worried about appearances, so the idea of their only child marrying a criminal was never going to go down well! But her father's reaction had stunned her, he acted out of love and concern, but declared that Nate was damaged, broken and that no good would ever come out of their union. In a desperate attempt to make his daughter "see sense" he refused to come to the wedding to give her away. Obviously that didn't work, so on the big day it was Sully who proudly gave Elena away and then took his place at Nate's side as his best man.

To her, Nate wasn't damaged or broken-he was just wounded. Wounded by his parents' actions, wounded by being raised in a strict, harsh environment where he was condemned, when he should have been nutured and loved. And yet despite of all of this, his guarded, vulnerable heart was overflowing with such an incredible amount of love that he awkwardly but oh so sweetly gave her. The so-called normal, together guys she had dated before him never came anywhere close to how special and cherished Nate made her feel.

Marriage to Nathan Drake hadn't been a cakewalk (she was certain that with her headstrong, stubborn nature Nate felt the same way about being married to Elena Fisher!), they didn't quarrel often but when they did (usually over the stupidest, little things) their strong wills made things get heated very quickly and then of course there were the times when Nate just couldn't cope with certain situations and he'd ran out on her or most recently lied out of fear of losing her.

But by being there for him when he needed her the most, by sticking together "for better or worse" their love had grown deeper than ever. Their recent adventure had also given Elena not only an even deeper understanding of Nate but also of herself. Although they both loved the normal life they had built together in New Orleans she realised that they both wanted...NEEDED more. So thanks to Sam's gift of coins from Libertalia (it meant the world to her that Sam had given them to her, not Nate-that he was entrusting his little brother's future to her) they were starting a new chapter of their lives-not just as soulmates, husband and wife but now also as business partners.

D & F Fortunes' first job-the Malaysia Job-was going very well and they were both so enjoying the thrill of a new adventure together without the usual hassle of dodging bullets!

Due to the tides, their next dive was scheduled at dawn, so the plan was to have an early night but the way they were both feeling right now sleep wasn't going to happen anytime soon!

As a warm, night breeze blew into the hotel room Nate slid his hand round to Elena's back, his fingers playfully teasing up and down her spine as he nuzzled and kissed her neck. At the same time Elena's hand slowly worked its way over his body, covering it with caresses.

As passionate as their relationship had always been, it had always felt far more than that to both of them-they never just had sex, they made love and they both got so much joy from the tender intimacy of simply kissing and caressing each other as they snuggled together. They knew each other so well, the special little places that if touched just right would give the other the most exquisite pleasure, the ticklish spots they both had. Then there were their scars, physical reminders of all they'd been through, all they'd survived-these were always given the same love and affection as the rest of their bodies, so as her hand slowly covered his body his many scars were caressed too.

The first time they'd made love they had given each other a guided tour of their war wounds, they had both added to their collections over the years, some small, others decidedly not-Elena had patches of scarring all down her left side from Flynn's grenade, Nate had a gunshot wound on his abdomen inflicted on him by the same arsehole, he also had a slash across his chest from Talbot's knife and then there were his most recent ones-on his right shoulder, left arm and abdomen-from his sword dual with Rafe Adler.

There was also a curious collection just below his navel-a messy criss-cross of scars, all about an inch long. They were there when they first started sleeping together after El Dorado, then each time they reunited, first after Shambhala then after Ubar, she noticed that their number had grown. Nate never seemed to like to talk about them so she'd accepted that they were one of his no-go areas. Over the years she'd come to her own conclusion about them but had kept this to herself.

As her hand gently ran over them, like she had done countless times before, Nate did something he'd never done at her touch-he flinched. Elena stopped and looked up at him, concerned.

"Sorry...I..." Nate sighed and looked at her awkwardly.

Elena moved her hand up to his face and stroked it soothingly. She didn’t say anything, just waited patiently as he tried to find his words.

"All the stuff I've told you...y'know, about me and Sam growing up...well, I've loved sharing it with you...but it's made me think a lot too..." he looked right at her-his big, blue eyes filled with a mixture of fear and shame "...Honey, I've done so many things in my life that I'm not proud of...but...well...apart from hurting you so much, those scars are the thing I'm the most ashamed of...I want to tell you...but...I..."

"Y'know, I used to so hate thinking of you growing up all alone..." she said softly as she started to stroke his hair "...I'm so glad you had someone to love and to love you...and I'm SO happy you've got Sam back...I guess what I'm trying to say is that as much as I love hearing about all the trouble you two got into over the years, all your adventures, I know that there's still places that are just too painful for you to go...for you to talk about...but it's okay, I know enough..."

Nate looked at her sorrowfully "But sometimes I wonder if...well if you ever saw what's really in those places..."

Elena gave him a slow, tender kiss then smiled lovingly at him "Nathan Drake, don't you know me at all by now?!...That there could never be anything in here..." she gently patted the middle of his chest "...or there..." she lightly tapped the side of his head "...that could scare me away?! Face it cowboy, you're stuck with me!!"

Nate let out a soft, sad, little laugh and wrapped his arms around her, holding her so close. He looked at her nervously, then spoke so softly "I did them...I cut myself..."

Elena kissed him again "Hey, it's okay..." she nodded as she stroked his face once more.

Nate seemed a little relieved to finally get the words out but he also seemed baffled at her calm reaction "You're not shocked?!...You don't even seem surprised?!..."

Elena shooked her head gently "When we first starting dating after El Dorado...you did your best to hide it, but I knew you were in a lot of pain...then when we started sleeping together...well, you never liked to talk about those scars...and your nightmares...it made me wonder...then as your little collection grew over the years, I just kinda knew..." Nate blinked at her, dumbfounded, as she continued "...of course now I know about Sam, well...the first ones are from when you thought you'd lost him aren't they?"

Nate nodded hesitantly, still surprised at her knowledge of what he'd never talked about "Yeah...when I thought Sam was dead it was like...I felt my heart break...I didn’t know any other way to express the grief I felt...I know it must sound crazy but when I cut myself the pain actually felt like a release...but then I felt so ashamed...what would Sam think of me?..."

"Hey, he'd understand..." Elena reassured as she resumed stroking his hair.

Nate nodded uncertainly "...I just shut down then...it was the only way I could seem to keep going...it was easier to act like Sam had never existed than deal with how losing him made me feel...but I didn’t realise JUST how shut down I'd become until we first met...Sully was more than just my best friend, he was the only family I had left...but when I thought he'd died...all I felt was...emptiness..." as he tenderly stroked Elena's face, Nate smiled warmly "...but you changed all that...your love saved me, Miss Fisher...you helped mend my broken heart..." Elena kissed him once more and the smile faded from Nate's face "...but then I always have to go and wreck it all don’t I?!....When we're not together...I always feel so lost...that's when I..."

"...hurt yourself?" Elena asked gently.

"Yeah..." Nate said softly "...it's different from when I thought I'd lost Sam...the pain doesn't feel like a release...it's more like the punishment I deserve...I never mean to hurt you but I always do...I guess I'm only good at destroying things...and I don't just mean lost cities..."

Elena stroked the sides of his face "You don't always destroy things...lost cities, yes..." she said with a little smile "...most vehicles you get in...but you're not a TOTAL disaster area!"

Nate smiled sadly "I almost destroyed us...more than once...I know you came close to it this time but you've never given up on me...I don’t deserve..."

Elena silenced him with another slow, tender kiss "Do you remember what you said to Sam as we went to leave the island?...That you're not those kids anymore...that you've got nothing to prove..."

"That was about Avery's treasure..."

"I know...but you were right...you're NOT those abandoned boys anymore...the ones that were made to feel that they didn't deserve to be happy, to be loved..." Nate looked unconvinced as Elena continued "...you say you destroy things but look at the little family you've built..."

Nate smiled sheepishly "Well I have to have some people I can rely on to save my ass!"

Elena laughed softly "...Nate, you risked EVERYTHING to save your big brother...then there's Sully..."

"...who I've dragged into SO many messes over the years!" Nate finished.

"He wouldn't have it any other way! Y'know we were talking once...before I married you...that when you first met him in Cartegena, he hadn't cared for anyone in a VERY long time...and that when he saved you from Marlowe's goons, you saved HIM too..."

Nate looked stunned "Sully really said that?!"

Elena nodded and smiled "Yeah...of course he added that if I ever told you he'd completely deny it!"

Nate chuckled softly.

"Without even knowing it, you've given him SO much...and then of course, there's me..."

Nate scoffed "Oh yeah...the most incredible girl I've ever known...who I've ran out on...more than once...hurt so much...lied to...I have given you SO much trouble over the years..."

"Yeah, you have..." Elena said with a very warm smile "...but you have given me SO much more besides..." Nate looked at her incredulously as she continued "...Nate, you're my VERY best friend...my soul mate...the love of my life...and you have filled my life with the SWEETEST, most INCREDIBLE love..."

She gently pulled away from him and moved her head down to below his navel and softly kissed his scars. Nate didn't flinch at her touch this time, instead he let out a soft, little gasp of surprise. Elena looked up at him adoringly "I love you SO VERY much Nathan Dra...Nathan Morgan..."

Nate looked at her, utterly taken aback, as he tenderly pulled her back up so they were face to face. He then wrapped his arms around her once more, holding her closer than ever, as he nuzzled into her neck again.

As they lay together, so silent and so close, Elena found herself worrying-was it a mistake to use his birth name? It was the first time she'd said it aloud and she meant it as a way of saying that she loved him completely, including his troubled past, but after all he'd told her tonight maybe it was just too much for him to handle.

Nate stopped nuzzling her neck and moved so they were face to face again. He gently stroked her face as he smiled at her-it was an incredibly warm, loving smile that made her worries just melt away "Nathan Morgan loves you SO VERY much back..." he murmured.


End file.
